6.7/10
63,625
151 user 208 critic

Ghost Town (2008)

Bertram Pincus is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts.

Director:

3 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Young Husband
...
Young Wife
Joseph Badalucco Jr. ...
Accident Bystander (as Joe Badalucco)
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Accident Bystander
Tyree Michael Simpson ...
Sneezy Cop (as Tyre Simpson)
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Sneezy Lady
...
...
Upper East Side Lady
...
Bridget Moloney ...
...
Greenpeace Guy (as Raymond Lee)
Joey Mazzarino ...
Food Delivery Guy
Brad Oscar ...
Kathleen Landis ...
Resident
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Storyline

Bertram Pincus is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen. That puts Pincus squarely in the middle of a triangle with spirited result. Written by Studio Approved Synopsis

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Dr. Bertram Pincus can see you now... See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some strong language, sexual humor and drug references | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

19 September 2008 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

La ville fantôme  »

Filming Locations:

 »

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Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,012,315, 21 September 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$13,214,030, 9 November 2008
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Gwen's Egypt exhibition is called "Voices of the Dead" - which is exactly what Dr. Pincus experiences in the film. See more »

Goofs

When Richard came, unscheduled, to Dr. Pincus' office at the end of a day, Dr. Pincus started to examine the bothersome tooth Richard indicated. Dr. Pincus did not first put on gloves before picking up the mirror or explorer and looking in Richard's mouth. See more »

Quotes

Surgeon: Not a real people person, are you, Dr. Pincus?
Bertram Pincus: Not really. Given a choice between a few people and loads of people, I choose my cat. She hunts dwarves. She takes them up the tree. They're still alive. You can see their little legs going. Sounds like Norah Jones when she plays the piano.
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Crazy Credits

Directly after the end titles fade to black, there is a brief outburst of near-hysterical laughter. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Community: Epidemiology (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

String Quartet Op. 1 No. 6 in C - 4th Movement
Written by Joseph Haydn (as Franz Joseph Haydn)
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Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Not exactly "laugh out loud funny", but very well done.
8 October 2008 | by See all my reviews

While this movie is comedy, it's not really a major "laugh-fest" or anything - but it is very well done and interesting to watch. If you're a fan of Ricky Gervais, he's only an actor here, not the writer or producer - so don't expect lots of Gervais-inspired humor. However, do expect a clever and charming romantic comedy.

Basically, the movie is about a dentist (Gervais) who temporarily dies during a routine medical procedure. This experience gives him the ability to see all the dead people who are milling about. One of them is resourceful enough to get Gervais' character to interfere with his former wife's engagement ... and the story progresses from there.

Gervais puts in a great performance as the socially repugnant dentist. Unpleasant as he is, he's fun to watch and you want to see what his every next move will be. Greg Kinnear (who plays the ghost pressuring Gervais) does a good job too; he's pretty believable in his role. The other characters are more or less one-dimensional and not quite as interesting. However, together with Gervais and Kinnear, everyone more or less of shines.

While the story is a bit predictable, the interesting characters, charming nature of the tale and all-around quality of movie-making make this film worth a watch.


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